From ancient cave paintings of honey bee nests to modern science’s richly diversified investigation of honey bee biology and its applications, the human imagination has long been captivated by the mysterious and highly sophisticated behavior of this paragon among insect societies. In the first broad treatment of honey bee biology to appear in decades, Mark Winston provides rare access to the world of this extraordinary insect. In a bright and engaging style, Winston probes the dynamics of the honey bee’s social organization. He recreates for us the complex infrastructure of the nest, describes the highly specialized behavior of workers, queens, and drones, and examines in detail the remarkable ability of the honey bee colony to regulate its functions according to events within and outside the nest. Winston integrates into his discussion the results of recent studies, bringing into sharp focus topics of current bee research. These include the exquisite architecture of the nest and its relation to bee physiology; the intricate division of labor and the relevance of a temporal caste structure to efficient functioning of the colony; and, finally, the life-death struggles of swarming, supersedure, and mating that mark the reproductive cycle of the honey bee. The Biology of the Honey Bee not only reviews the basic aspects of social behavior, ecology, anatomy, physiology, and genetics, it also summarizes major controversies in contemporary honey bee research, such as the importance of kin recognition in the evolution of social behavior and the role of the well-known dance language in honey bee communication. Thorough, well-illustrated, and lucidly written, this book will for many years be a valuable resource for scholars, students, and beekeepers alike.

From honey experts C. Marina Marchese and Kim Flottum comes this comprehensive introduction to the origin, flavor, and culinary uses of more than 30 varietals of honey, from ubiquitous clover to tangy star thistle to rich, smoky buckwheat Like wine, cheese, coffee, and chocolate, honey has emerged as an artisanal obsession. Its popularity at farmers' markets and specialty food stores has soared as retailers are capitalizing on the trend. The Honey Connoisseur teaches consumers everything they need to know about how to taste, select, and use a diverse selection of honey. After a brief explanation of how bees produce honey, the authors introduce the concept of terroir, the notion that soil, weather, and other natural phenomena can affect the taste of honey. As with wines, knowing the terroir of a honey varietal helps to inform an understanding of its flavor. The book goes on to give a thorough course in the origins of more than 30 different honeys as well as step-by-step instructions, how to taste honey, describe its flavor and determine what other flavors pair best with a particular honey. Also included are simple recipes such as dressings, marinades, quick-and-easy desserts, and beverages. Beautifully illustrated and designed, The Honey Connoisseur is the perfect book for foodies and locavores alike. Praise for The Honey Connoisseur: "Of all the near-perfect food we generally take for granted, honey suffers more than most (except for cheese). The Honey Connoisseur lays it all out on the table; Marina Marchese and Kim Flottum tell the whole story including its dark side in an eloquent style. The reader will never look at the honey jar the same way." -- Max McCalman, author of Mastering Cheese, Cheese: Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best, and The Cheese Platebr> "Eureka! This is the book I've been looking for. As a restaurateur who has traveled high and low in search of the world's finest wines, I have always respected the role terroir plays in creating and nurturing a region's culinary personality. Ever since I took up beekeeping, I've been on the hunt for the definitive guide to the essence of honey: how to taste it, which local factors influence its flavor, and most importantly for me, how to pair it with other ingredients like an expert." -- Julian Niccolini, Owner of The Four Seasons Restaurant, New York City "With the authors' depth of knowledge, I cannot think of a better resource on honey. This book makes me want to bake with all the varieties. Finally, a honey bible! The Honey Connoisseur is truly a great book." -- John Barricelli, author of The Seasonal Baker and The Sono Baking Company Cookbook "Marina Marchese and Kim Flottum's knowledge of this fascinating and increasingly popular subject is unparalleled. Together, they have composed the preeminent book about honey and its regional culinary food pairings." -- Nicholas Coleman, Chief Olive Oil Specialist, Eataly NYC

Indulge your sweet tooth all year long with honey’s many seasonal flavors. Use avocado honey to add depth to April’s baby carrots; spice up your July peaches with sourwood honey; and add some cranberry honey to November’s Thanksgiving spread. This delightful book is filled with bits of honey lore and beekeeping history to sweeten your exploration of the varied and delicious ways you can use honey every day.

The familiar European hive bee, Apis mellifera, has long dominated honey bee research. But in the last 15 years, teams in China, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand began to shift focus to the indigenous Asian honey bees. Benjamin Oldroyd, well known for his work on the genetics and evolution of worker sterility, has teamed with Siriwat Wongsiri, a pioneer of the study of bees in Thailand, to provide a comparative work synthesizing the rapidly expanding Asian honey bee literature. After introducing the species, the authors review evolution and speciation, division of labor, communication, and nest defense. They underscore the pressures colonies face from pathogens, parasites, and predators--including man--and detail the long and amazing history of the honey hunt. This book provides a cornerstone for future investigations on these species, insights into the evolution across species, and a direction for conservation efforts to protect these keystone species of Asia's tropical forests.

Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugar made by bees. Honeybees collect a liquid secretion from flowers, called nectar, and take this back to their hives. It is an appreciated natural gift to humanity derived entirely from honeybees. Honey is the by-product of nectar collected by bees from the flowers, with some digestive enzymes produced by the honeybees themselves. Honey: A Miraculous Product of Nature summarizes the current status of honey, it’s uses and related aspects. This illustrated volume describes use of honey in traditional medicines, i.e. Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani by acting as a preservative and nourishing agent. Also, other properties like digestibility, palatability, deliciousness, refreshing, thirst quencher, stomachic, anti-obtrusive, expectorant, anti-oxidative, anti-tussive and blood purifier are explained in beautiful manner. The role of honey in improving eyesight, strengthens gums and teeth and it’s use in jaundice, spleen enlargement, sore throat, chest diseases, sexual debility, renal and cystic calculi, intestinal worms, heart diseases and leprosy is very well described. The compiled knowledge from range of bee scientists, Honey: A Miraculous Product of Nature aims to provide broad knowledge on honey to the researchers, apiculturists and students to continue their work on honey and honeybees.

An extraordinary story of a girl, her grandfather and one of nature’s most mysterious and beguiling creatures: the honeybee. Meredith May recalls the first time a honeybee crawled on her arm. She was five years old, her parents had recently split and suddenly she found herself in the care of her grandfather, an eccentric beekeeper who made honey in a rusty old military bus in the yard. That first close encounter was at once terrifying and exhilarating for May, and in that moment she discovered that everything she needed to know about life and family was right before her eyes, in the secret world of bees. May turned to her grandfather and the art of beekeeping as an escape from her troubled reality. Her mother had receded into a volatile cycle of neurosis and despair and spent most days locked away in the bedroom. It was during this pivotal time in May’s childhood that she learned to take care of herself, forged an unbreakable bond with her grandfather and opened her eyes to the magic and wisdom of nature. The bees became a guiding force in May’s life, teaching her about family and community, loyalty and survival and the unequivocal relationship between a mother and her child. Part memoir, part beekeeping odyssey, The Honey Bus is an unforgettable story about finding home in the most unusual of places, and how a tiny, little-understood insect could save a life.

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.